The World of Commercial Barter

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of commercial barter to people that previously have not been exposed to this fascinating world. The first part of this paper is concerned with simplifying the theory behind the barter world. Chapter III begins with an illustration of the history of barter, and then explains its relation to the modem-day barter industry. The next chapter describes the various types of barter companies: Retail Exchanges and Full-Service Barter Exchanges, both franchised and independently owned. In the fifth, and final, chapter of this section, the operation of commercial barter is illustrated through observations of a specific barter company called Barter Corp. The second section of this paper, beginning with Chapter VI, consists of my observations and opinions of the inner-workings of Barter Corp. This Chapter is made up of general impressions of my experience, and my actual semi-weekly SIP journal. The final section, consisting of Chapter VII, describes the project that I worked on at Barter Corp.: A client satisfaction survey. This section discusses the results of this survey, and highlights my own suggestions as to how Barter Corp. can continue as a leader in the world of commercial barter.